Special Beer Tasting

Titan India Red Ale

Lil’ Bruiser IPA

Big Bruiser Double IPA

Thundercone Fresh Hop Ale

Old St. Francis Brewer Mike "Curly" White presents a special sampler flight of four beers that showcase the mystery and power to be found within the mighty green hop cone.

Titan India Red Ale

The Titan IRA is a wonderful take on a big malty red ale with the hop emphasis typically seen in IPAs. The Titan has a deep red hue with semi-sweet malt flavors. Big hop tones of citrus and floral notes give this drink a little extra power. With thoughts of Mythological deities Gaia and Uranus in mind, who sired the 12 Titans or gods, this drink is hopefully what legends could be made of.

The Lil’ Bruiser is an IPA that has all the right flavors in all the right spots. A flowery aroma hits your nose first. Then citrus tones come at you a little but linger in a mellow way. A mild malt complex complements the overall hoppiness of the beer but doesn’t cover up any aspect of the hops. This lil' guy will sneak up on ya and leave you wondering what hit ya!

The Big Bruiser Double IPA is exactly as the name suggests, big and definitely a bruiser. Maybe the 12 pounds of hops, that’s 2 pounds per barrel, bruise your taste buds. Or possibly the big malt flavor will pound your palate. Then again it could be the 7.5% ABV that bruises your ego. Who knows. All this beer will do is inundate your mouth with big powerful hop and malt flavors!

Fresh (or wet) Cascade hops were frantically delivered straight from the hop fields to every McMenamins Brewery and each batch of Thundercone Fresh Hop Ale was brewed within hours of the hops being picked off of the vine. The resulting beer is an absolute fresh hop showcase. This beer starts with a smooth foundation and just a slight maltiness. The real star of this show is the fresh Cascade hops used for both flavoring and aroma. Five pounds of fresh Cascades per barrel were added in three different additions in every batch. These fresh Cascades overwhelm Thundercone Fresh Hop Ale with an earthy, raw hop decadence that can only come from fresh hops. It is a greener and more unadulterated flavor and aroma than comes from dried hops. The citrusy, flowery and grapefruit notes usually associated with Cascade hops are still present but with an amazing fresh hop funkiness added into the mix. This beer is so refreshing and hop-filled that you may think you are dreaming but Thundercone Fresh Hop Ale is in reality a short-lived dream come true.